Practice after Dark
by ArticulateThief
Summary: Normally, Volleyball practice doesn't last that long. But on this one particular evening, Kageyama and Hinata stay behind, determined to do more than the other. Their rivalry is soon put to a standstill, as a technical fault causes one of the boys to get injured. With nobody else left in the building, Kageyama is left with a choice. A choice that he is rather reluctant to make.
1. Chapter 1

"Nice, Hinata!" The coach shouted as the small ginger-haired boy crashed to the ground. "That was your fourth save in a row, good job!"

"Hey! Kageyama, you're up next - practice your serve with Hinata!" the tall setter cast a side-ways long look at the boy on the floor, then walked over to retrieve the ball. "Come on then." He said, offering a hand to Hinata.

His hands steady, deep, concentrated breaths, a careful stance... Kageyama was in his element.

"Woah!" Tanaka shouted, as the rest of the volley ball team watched the ball fly over the net and smash into the opposing court. "That was awesome, dude!" Hinata looked on, not quite believing what he had just witnessed - a perfect serve.

"Oi, Hinata! Pay attention next time." Kageyama boasted, slapping him on the back. "Let's go again."

Several hours pasted, and the two had been practising intensely, way beyond their coaches expectations. In fact, their coach had already left - and so had everybody else, as it was getting so late.

"Grr...one more try...Kageyama!" Hinata shouted, clawing himself up off the ground, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"I'll go on...if you will!" The latter said, straightening his shirt and wiping his hands down his shorts. Hinata bent down to grab the ball, but struggled to stay upright once he had hold of it - and with an almighty thump, he landed on the gym floor. "Ah, you... idiot! What are you... doing..?" Kageyama said, stumbling over to the heap on the floor. He kicked it several times, then slipped and fell on top of Hinata. "Ow! Get off me!" The small boy whimpered, using the last of his strength to attempt at pushing the larger boy off. But... to no avail. The two layed in the same position for several seconds, until the gym lights above them started to flicker.

"Ah, what? Why are they-" Hinata exclaimed, but a sudden burst of electricity shocked him out of his skin, stopping him in his tracks. Both boys covered their heads, as the light directly above them creaked, zapped and crashed it's way to the floor. Simultaneously, each bulb fizzed out, and the previously well-lit gym turned pitch black. "Hinata! Brace yourself!" Kageyama cried, but his shouting was soon out-shadowed by the noise that the fallen light gave out. The protective barrier around it gave way and swung violently off its hinges. Next, glass cascaded across the gym, it's shattering sound echoing throughout the room, several large pieces left deep gashes on Kageyama's arms. And finally, the ceiling began to crumble, the force of the explosion seemed to put too much pressure on it, and two fairly big chunks of wood fell through and clanked their way to the ground, one catching Hinata's head on its way down. Then... Silence.

...

"-nata!"...

"inata!" ...?

"Hinata!"...!

"Whaa?" the small boy uttered, a small cut on his lip causing him to wince slightly. His vision was blurry, and his head pounded - throbbed like mad. An uncomfortable dampness from his neck made him shuffle, but the pain was too much. And so, Hinata rested his head back into the arms from wence it came.

He looked up, and could just make out a black haired figure above him, but he couldn't make out who it was. Who? Who could it be? Who's voice was that, calling his name? He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. though he couldn't really tell the difference because it was so dark.

A few moments later, he felt a hand touch his neck. Pain. He shut his eyes tighter, and gritted his teeth. A small, high-pitched cry escaped out of his mouth. Kageyama flinched, not wanting to hurt the boy who he could not see. How badly was he hurt? It was too dark - and he needed to get help somehow.

"Hinata, I need you to say something. Please, just tell me anything."

... "I...wh...who..are you..?" Hinata muttered, before blacking out.

"What do you mean? Hey! Wake up!" 'Damnit, how can I get him to wake up and see sense? Shit..' Kageyama carefully layed his friend down onto his lap, not wanting to put his injured head on any glass. The cuts on his arms were rips, blood was oozing out of them, and he couldn't support Hinata any longer.

'How..?' The boy pondered for a moment. How can he get Hinata to recognise him? How can he show who he is? Then it hit him. Hinata can sense when he throws a ball to him.. so maybe he would be able to...

'No. There has to be another way.' There was no way Kageyama would ever do such a thing to anyone, let alone **him**.

Or... what if he didn't? He could never forgive himself if Hinata got any long lasting injuries from this accident. But...

Hinata once again felt a hand touch his neck, but this time it continued upwards. Each movement made his skin tremble, as the hand felt it's way across his cheek. Two fingers were placed gently on to his lips, but were then removed. Following this, was a different sensation upon his mouth, a more soft, delicate feeling. It was then that he realised who was with him.

"...Kageyama..." he said, once the boys parted. A small smile crept across the setter's face.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on." Kageyama said, attempting to help the boy sit up. He placed a hand around Hinata's neck, and felt the damp red liquid in-between his fingers. He needed to get help. Fast.

Taking a good look around, Kageyama realised just how much rubble there was. Under his cool exterior was a frightened boy that wanted to get his friend out as soon as possible. He never really showed fear, but Kageyama definitely felt it.

He struggled to lift the small boy, even though it should be relatively easy for him to do so, given their difference in weight. The pain from his arms was excruciating, but he managed to get the boy safely on to his back. He could feel Hinata's breath, his head resting on his shoulder. Shaking these thoughts away, the boy began to step over the large planks of wood that had fallen from above. Not for one second did he take into account the danger he was in. It was incredibly dark now, the lights had all gone out, but there was one that had caught the boy's eye. A tiny white light that was shining through the cracks in the door, and he swore he heard a voice calling out his name. He clung on to this, hoping it meant he could get help for Hinata.

"Hello? Is there anyone in there?"

Kageyama heard a click. But all of a sudden, he started to feel dizzy. With his last bit of strength, he continued over to the door.

"Oh god, the boys are still in here!" Their coach shouted, having opened the door and seen the state the two were in.

"Please..." Kageyama uttered, having made it across the piles of glass and wood.

"Help him..."

The faint sound of talking caused the boy to open his eyes. His head hurt like mad.

"Hinata's awake!" He heard someone shout, which made him wince from the sudden noise.

"Shh, Tanaka. The boy doesn't want to hear you shouting down his ear first thing in the morning."

"Sorry..."

Wait a minute... morning? Did he hear that right? Was it the next day already?

"H...how long have I been asleep?" Hinata said, looking up at the several faces above him.

"It's been three days now." Kiyoko answered, with slight concern in her expression.

Three whole days?!

"Kageyama woke up two days ago, asking where you were. That's all he really said. Coach told us that when he found you two, Kageyama was carrying you out of the gym on his back."

Hinata was shocked at this. Kageyama, helping him?

'Maybe he got hit on the head too...' The boy thought.

"Yeah, even though his arms were pretty cut up, he managed to get you out all on his own. What were you guys doing in there so late anyways?"

Hinata blinked. What were they doing again?

"I... I don't remember..." He said, trying to think back to that evening. He had no luck.

"That's okay, we'll let you get some rest now." Daichi said, hinting at the other members to clear off.

"Get well soon, Hinata."

"See ya soon."

"Aww, Hinata don't die!" Tanaka shouted, tears streaming down his face. He was quickly guided outside by Azumune, and the rest of the members followed.

Hinata leant back and looked up at the ceiling. Why could he not remember what happened? It was so frustrating, but there wasn't much he could do. In fact all he could do at this point was rest and get himself well again.

Looking across his bedroom, Kageyama could see the light from outside. He wanted to go out and run. Do something, at least. It was so boring being stuck indoors. He knew it would be quite a while before he could play volleyball again as well, what with these annoying cuts on his arms.

Then he remembered. Hinata was still in hospital. Was he okay? Was he still asleep? Kageyama needed to know.

He walked briskly along the path towards the hospital, not really paying attention to anything that was going on around him. He needed to see if the boy he cared for was alright.

However, as he got to the entrance of the building, Kageyama stopped. What if Hinata questioned him about what happened? What if he asked about the… well, how he managed to get the boy back to his senses. All of a sudden Kageyama's determination dropped.

'What am I doing? I should just go in and stop being such a coward.' He told himself. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Just as he was about to turn around, he heard Nishinoya calling his name.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" He shouted, the rest of the team following along behind him.

"Kageyama! It's good to see you're up and about. Going in to see Hinata?" Daichi smiled, patting the boy on the back, who made an attempt to get away.

"Yeah he's finally awake now, so you should go see how he's doing."

Kageyama hesitated, but found himself being pushed forwards by his team mates.

"Guys, what are you-"

"How can I help?" The lady at the desk smiled.

…

"Hinata?" The setter mumbled, looking down at his sleeping friend. He had been psyching himself up, but it turns out he did it all for nothing. He placed a hand on the boy's cheek, there was a small cut on the opposite one, and a large bandage circling round his forehead.

'I thought they said he was awake? Well, I might as well leave him in peace.' Kageyama thought, backing out of Hinata's curtained section. He took one last look at the boy, before smiling and taking his leave.

It was dark outside when Hinata finally awoke to the sound of the nurse's voice.

"It's time for your medicine." She said quietly, with a warm friendly smile. The boy looked up at her, and made a pouty face.

"I know it tastes bad, but you have to meet me half way here. Oh, a boy came in earlier, he wanted me to give you a message."

Hinata shut his eyes as he gulped down the medicine, then he accepted the neatly folded piece of paper from the nurse. He didn't recognise the handwriting, but it had his name on it.

"Well, I'll see you in four hours for your next dose. Just call if you need anything." She said, placing a glass of water next to the boy's bed.

A note? Hinata began to unfold it, but when he read the contents his curiosity faded. It didn't state who it was from, and the only thing that was written on the scrap of paper was: 'Do you remember?'

Does he remember what? Obviously he didn't remember, but what was the note talking about? Or rather, who wrote it? The only person he could think of was Kageyama. But what would he want Hinata to remember? He didn't know. And his head hurt, so he decided to think about it another time.

Kageyama looked across at his clock. It was late, but he couldn't sleep. He was too busy thinking. Was the note a stupid idea? As he started to think about it, maybe it was. He didn't even put who it was from. But then again, he wanted to be kind of subtle. Plus he couldn't ask Hinata about it anyways, because he was asleep.

But wait… why did it matter if Hinata remembered the kiss or not? It's not like it mattered, it was just to wake the boy up. It didn't mean anything.

Right?


End file.
